As Bree, Kaz, and Oliver were prodded into the cage with them, Skylar watched her once friends, her gaze teeming with anger.
"How can you do this?" she yelled. "You're leaving Earth defenseless; the Superhero code is to always protect Earth at all costs!"
"But you see, I wasn't ever much of a superhero, really," said Scarlett. "I find humans to be a bit distasteful. Probably why I never fully trusted you."
"Yeah, and ever since I joined teams with the Annihilator, I haven't been paying much heed to the Superhero code," laughed Experion.
"Why did you join him?" asked Skylar, posing a question that had been bothering her ever since the reveal of Experion's true character. "What could he have possibly offered to make you turn your back on superheroes?"
"He offered me a change," said Experion. "Superheroes have spent too long in the shadows; it's time to show the world what we're really made of."
"These guys sound just as crazy as Roman and Riker," hissed Kaz. "They're all nuts."
"Nuts is not what I would call it," said Scarlett, fixing her gaze on Kaz. Kaz leapt back in shock at the intensity of her look. "But you are wrong when you say we sound like Roman and Riker. On the contrary, they sound like us; we're the ones that put every crazy idea in their head in the first place."
"Roman and Riker work for you?" asked Chase, incredulously.
"Yes," answered Experion. "And I suggest you all do the same."
"Join our side now," said Scarlett. "And we'll show you mercy."
"We would never join the likes of you," said Bree. The others rallied behind her.
"Really?" asked Experion, looking menacing. "What about you, Skylar?"
Skylar, who had not cheered along with the others, raised her eyes to look at her old friends.
"Are you going to join the side you know is right, or burn with these superhero knock-offs?"
Skylar narrowed her gaze. "You two were the only family I ever had," she said, her voice shaking with anger. "I waited sixteen years for a decent family, and when I finally got it, you turned on me. You distrusted by alliance to the Opposition, and you were right. I would never join you or your side in this war."
"Have it your way then!" exclaimed Scarlett, and she snapped her fingers.
"Whoa, what's happening?" exclaimed Kaz, and the cage they were in began to move. The rocks from the ceiling fell away and revealed more bars surrounding them, as the cage was lowered deeper and deeper into the earth.
At first, Skylar thought Experion and Scarlett were just going to bury them under the ground and wait for them to die, but then she saw a large chink of yellow light appear at the bottom of the cage. It slowly rose and grew until the cage was out of the rock, and she blinked at the sudden light surrounding them.
"Wow," gasped Bree. Skylar opened her eyes and looked down. They were surrounded by Lava, boiling, bright, bubbling lava, which steamed and hissed menacingly below them. The air down in this cave was much warmer them that in the prison, and Skylar could already feel herself beginning to sweat.
"Ready to change your minds, anyone?" asked Experion. Skylar turned and saw him and Scarlett standing against the far wall, watching over the proceedings.
"Don't bother," said Scarlett with a growl. "We know where their loyalties lie. We will let them all burn, and we will enjoy hearing their screams. Traitors are always the best."
Skylar felt someone brush against her arm, and she heard Chase whispering in her ear.
"Have any ideas? He asked. Skylar bit her lip. She did have one.
"Kaz and Oliver," she whispered quietly. "They can fly, but Scarlett won't know that. Get them to break the bars of the cage and fly us all out of here. I'll keep them talking."
Chase shuffled over to the other side of the cage and she could hear him passing the message to the others. Skylar turned to face their captors.
"I can't believe you would do this to all of us!" she exclaimed heatedly. "I didn't know your hatred of me could run this deep."
"Oh Skylar," said Scarlett sweetly. "We could never hate you. We just don't trust you, is all."
"Experion?" Pleaded Skylar, watching out of the corner of her eye as Kaz made his way to the edge of the cage. "Are you really going to let Scarlett kill me? I thought we were friends? More then, even."
"Oh Skylar, there was a time when I cared deeply for you, I'll admit it."
"What?" Skylar was shocked by this information. She saw Oliver tense from the corner of her eye at the news. She decided this was not the time to detangle past feelings. Or was it?
"You loved me, didn't you?" she asked, looking right at Experion. "I thought I loved you too. I thought we could have been more. But you never gave me the chance."
Experion looked too shocked for words, but Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"Don't try to make something out of nothing," she snapped. "whatever you felt for each other in the past is irrelevant now. You are all going to be burning crisps at the bottom of a volcano soon, so none of this matters anyway. And-"
Just then, she was cut off by Kaz and Oliver's excited screaming.
Skylar spun around to see what the commotion was about. The boys had managed to bust open the cage with their ice powers, and Kaz was already in the air, flying Bree to safety on the other side of the mountain.
"NOOOOO!" yelled Scarlett.
"Come on!" cried Chase.
There was a crunching sound. Skylar looked up. Scarlet had flung a power ball at the chains holding the cage, and they were about to break any minute. Skylar saw her readying another blast as she watched.
Skylar ran forward and grabbed Chase's hand just as the second blast hit. Chase grabbed onto Oliver and the three of them jumped just in time.
Oliver groaned with the effort of carrying the both of them. Kaz, seeing their predicament, flew out to help.
"Grab on to Oliver," said Chase. Without questioning it, Skylar reached up and grabbed Oliver tightly around the chest. Chase leapt away, but before either of them could do anything, Kaz had caught him and was flying him to the other side.
"Hold on tightly," said Oliver. "I'll get you there safely."
"I didn't mean any of it, you know," said Skylar quietly. "What I said to Experion. I never loved him."
"I know," said Oliver. He looked sad, but he tried to smile. "I know there's someone else in your feelings now."
Skylar looked up at him, confused, but Oliver was already looking across the way, where Kaz and Chase had gone.
"Chase and I are just friends," she said firmly.
"For now." Oliver smiled. "And it's okay. Really. You and I wouldn't have worked. I think it just took me awhile to realize it."
Skylar bent her head, choosing to look down at the bubbling lava rather then face Oliver's sincere look. She knew he was right, and she silently thanked him for his maturity.
The two of the landed safety on the other side in silence.
As they broke apart, Skylar gathered their surroundings. Chase, Bree, and Kaz had Scarlett and Experion backed onto the corner of the ledge. Just a few feet behind them was the dizzying fall into treacherous lava.
"You think you can take us?" yelled Scarlett. Her hair was matted a wild. She looked like she was going mad.
"Um, it looks like we are," said Kaz matter-of-factly.
"You weak, human, bionic excuses are no match for true power!" she flung a power blast at Chase and Bree. Chase managed to block it, but Bree crumbled to her knees.
"Bree!" exclaimed Skylar, hurrying forward.
Scarlett laughed. "Yes, Skylar! Come check on your new friends. They're all you care for now, isn't it?"
"I care for them," said Skylar evenly. 'Because they are my friends. You're out numbered, Scarlett. Give in. This fight is over."
"Oh no," panted Scarlett. "It's not over until I say it is."
"You can't take us all down," pointed out Chase.
"I don't care," said Scarlett. "I'll take as many of you down with me as I can."
She threw another powerball at Kaz and Oliver, but they ducked.
"No you won't," said Experion.
Scarlett started to turn to him. "What are you-" but she was cut off as Experion leapt forward and hugged her tightly from behind. He started to back up.
"What are you doing?" yelled Scarlett. "Get off of me! Now!"
At first Skylar didn't know what he was doing, but then, all at once, she understood.
"Experion!" she cried. She didn't know what else to say. Inches from the edge, Experion turned back to look at her.
"I love you Skylar, and I always will," he vowed. "Keep Earth safe."
And he jumped. The two of them were suspended in air for a moment, Scarlett fighting viciously to get away, Experion holding her tightly, his eyes closed in peaceful acceptance.
Then, they both fell, out of sight, into the lava below.
"Wow," gasped Kaz. "That guy always had style."
"I can't believe he saved us," whispered Oliver.
"Me neither," said Skylar, her head still shaking with the shock of it.
"Come on guys," said Chase. "We need to get Bree home."